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Wednesday, 6 March 2013

Wool by Hugh Howey

***SBRs 2nd Best Read for 2013***

Publication date:25th January 2012Published by: Broad Reach PublishingGenre: Adult Dystopia / Sci-Fi Attention! This novel is outstanding.
Wool was first published as a standalone novella in July
2011 by author Hugh Howey.Howey had
taken the self-publishing route and the story became so popular his fan base
convinced him to write a series. His
collection of self-published novels sold by the hundreds of thousands before he
was offered a book deal with publishers Random House on the strength of the
Wool series.He has also sold the movie
rights to 20th Century Fox and Wool is set to become a movie to be
produced by (none other than) Ridley Scott (director of the first Alien movie and more recently Promethius).

The omnibus edition (books 1-5) is described as the one for
those who arrived late for the party.I
confess I am one of the late-arrivals but, in a way, I am glad since there is a
benefit to reading them back-to-back (see below).

The setting is a futuristic post-apocalyptic society where
humankind has been driven underground.Not
much is revealed about how this has come to be but it is clear that it was
anticipated because preparation was made with the construction of ‘The Silo’, a
structure that extends over 100 levels underground.There is a class structure in the Silo where
people closer to the surface tend to be running the place (political leaders
and law enforcers), those on the middle are the supporting skilled workers (IT
and maintenance) who aspire to be part of the group above them, and those in
the ‘down deep’ (the mechanics) who do the manual labour and keep the mechanisms
for access to essential resources in the Silo operational (such as the supply
of electricity and water).

The people in the Silo have by now lived there for several
generations and, although not particularly oppressed, live under a dictatorship.Their relationships between couples must be
sanctioned and the population is controlled.They are forbidden to speak of the outside and to do so is considered
treason.Breaking the law is punishable
by what is referred to as ‘Cleaning’, where the accused is forced to go outside
and window clean the external surface of the Silo, thus allowing a better view
for those inside. Once you’re sent out you
can’t come back in and are left to perish.

I have deliberately focused on the background and refrained from going into detail about
the actual plot because it is better to go in knowing as little as possible.I can assure you Wool is an intriguing and gripping
story. It incorporates a variety of genres including, crime thriller, mystery
and sci-fi.It is funny in parts and
there is even some romance (just a little). There are so many strong characters
in the book and you can’t help becoming attached to many of them.Unfortunately, being dystopia, I think it is
safe to say not everyone survives and you feel the loss of those who don’t make
it.

My feeling about dystopian novels is that, for them to work
they need to be affecting, thought-provoking and slightly disturbing.Wool manages all of these. The writing is
exceptional and the fiction is incredibly imaginative.I would say Hugh Howey’s greatest skill is
keeping the reader hooked.He is a
master at creating cliff-hangers - hence the benefit of reading the complete
series back-to-back.If I’d had to wait
for each novella to come out I am sure I would have gone crazy!

Some have compared it to the Hunger Games by Suzanne
Collins but I found myself drawing parallels with The Moon Dwellers by David Estes.However, both
these novels are pitched at teenagers and therefore, although both very good in their own
right, are not as grown-up and lack the sophistication of Wool.

So, if you like grown-up dystopian sci-fi and you haven’t
already, my advice is join the party!